Ministry of Justice

Question

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to enact section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019.

Mike Freer: Work to publish the response to the 2019 consultation on coronial investigations of stillbirths was paused during the pandemic, and since then the landscape of maternity investigations has changed significantly.The findings of the consultation were complex, and it is imperative that they are carefully considered when deciding whether the coronial jurisdiction should be extended to include the investigation of stillbirths.

Question

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that offenders are prepared for life outside prison.

Edward Argar: Effective resettlement is a core part of our efforts to reduce reoffending.We are introducing resettlement passports, bringing together key information and services in one place, to address individual drivers of repeat offending and enable continuity of support on release.We have introduced ID and Banking Administrators in 93 prisons to ensure prisoners leave custody with the basics required to start work, find accommodation and claim Universal Credit, with over 26,000 IDs arranged since April 2022.

National Tactical Response Group

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times the National Tactical Response Group were deployed to prisons in 2023.

Edward Argar: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 19 February 2024 to Question 13524: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-02-07/13524.

Prison Officers: Allowances

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what additional allowances are paid to prison officers on detached duty.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times prison officers were deployed on detached duty in 2023.

Edward Argar: Staff on national detached duty are entitled to a bonus payment that varies depending on the length of the deployment. Details are given in the table below:4 weeks8 weeks12 weeks£500£1200£2000 Additionally, and in line with the National Travel and Subsistence policy (PSI 15/2021), staff are entitled to claim overnight subsistence at £25 per night, and business mileage at a rate of 45p per mile for any additional travel incurred, as well as for the cost of bed and breakfast accommodation where applicable, at rates that vary depending on the location. An average of 332.35 staff each week were deployed on national detached duty during 2023.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Gaza: Israel

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the Israeli government's compliance with the provisional measures set forth by the International Court of Justice in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We respect the role and independence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However, we have stated that we have considerable concerns about this case, which is not helpful in the goal of achieving a sustainable ceasefire. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Humanitarian Law, as we have said from the outset. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, which is why we thought South Africa's decision to bring the case was wrong and provocative.We have long advocated for the release of hostages and the need to get more aid in.We are clear that an immediate pause is necessary to get aid in and hostages out, and then we want to build towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to the fighting.

Gaza: Development Aid

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much UK aid money was spent in Gaza in each year since 2003.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it and, as such, we have trebled our aid commitment for this financial year. The UK is providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance to support partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.The UK's 'Official Development Assistance' (ODA) Spend for Occupied Palestinian Territories each year since 2012:2012/13 - £89.3 million2013/14 - £95.4 million2014/15 - £85 million2015/16 - £73.6 million2016/17 - £67.8 million2017/18 - £64.9 million2018/19 - £81.3 million2019/20 - £112.7 million2020/21 - £79.8 million2021/22 - £29.8 million2022/23 - £25.7 million

Arms Trade

Imran Hussain: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on whether UK-manufactured (a) weapons and (b) components of weapons have been used in countries it has assessed as being in potential breach of (i) the Genocide Convention and (ii) Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government operates a robust and thorough assessment of licence applications against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, and we will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with that Criteria including where there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law.

Red Sea: Piracy

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the Oral Statement of the Secretary of State for Defence of 5 February 2024 on Situation in the Red Sea, Official Report, column 22, whether the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs discussed the consequences to Iran of failing to stop Houthi attacks during his meeting with his Iranian counterpart last month.

David Rutley: The Foreign Secretary sent a clear message during his meeting with his Iranian counterpart on 17 January. The Foreign Secretary made clear that Iran must use its influence with the Houthis to prevent further strikes, and that Iran must cease its support to the Houthi's illegal and unacceptable attacks. We will continue to work with international partners to deter Iran's destabilising activity, including by holding Iran to account in multilateral fora and through sanctions; addressing Iranian weapons proliferation; and maintaining our permanent defence presence in the region.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems: Arms Trade

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information he holds on (a) arms exports originating from factories owned by Rafael Defense Systems Ltd and (b) whether such exports have been used by the Israeli military in Gaza.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The export of strategic goods is controlled by export licensing and the government publishes data on its export licensing decisions: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-dataLicences. We continue to monitor closely the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. We will not issue an export licence to any destination where to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria. Licences are kept under careful review and we are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences, or refuse new licence applications, as circumstances require.

Israel and Occupied Territories: Arms Trade

Imran Hussain: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on whether UK-manufactured (a) arms and (b) weapons components have been used in (i) Israel and (ii) the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The export of strategic goods is controlled by export licensing and the government publishes data on its export licensing decisions: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-dataLicences. We continue to monitor closely the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. We will not issue an export licence to any destination where to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria. Licences are kept under careful review and we are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences, or refuse new licence applications, as circumstances require.

Afghanistan: British Nationals Abroad

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many UK nationals have remained in Afghanistan since August 2021.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We do not hold formal data on the number of British nationals in Afghanistan, but we estimate that numbers are likely in the hundreds. The FCDO continues to advise against all travel to Afghanistan. Since April 2021, we have brought around 24,600 people out of Afghanistan, including 4,660 British Nationals and their families during Operation Pitting itself.

Hamas: UNRWA

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to the press notice entitled Allegations about UNRWA staff and 7 October attacks: FCDO statement, published on 27 January 2024, what steps his Department is taking to review those allegations; and what estimate he has made of when that review will be concluded.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. We are pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.The United States, Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, Switzerland and the Netherlands have all temporarily paused funding.The pause will remain in place until we review the allegations, and we are looking to our partners in the UN to carry out a robust and comprehensive investigation.Any future funding decisions will be taken after this point.Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. We are getting on with aid delivery through funding multiple implementing partners including other UN agencies and international and UK NGOs. This support is helping people in Gaza get food, water, shelter and medicines.

Turkey: Christianity

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of changes in the level of violence against Christians in Turkey.

Leo Docherty: We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Christians, and note that the right to freedom of religion and belief is clearly enshrined in the Turkish constitution. Our travel advice for Turkey notes that terrorists may target places of worship. The UK stands with Turkey against terrorism, and we welcome the Turkish authorities' swift response to security threats, such as the fatal shooting at Santa Maria Church in Istanbul on 28 January.

Department of Health and Social Care

Electronic Cigarettes: Advertising

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of advertising vape products (a) in sports venues and (b) on sports kits on health outcomes.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children. Youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and one in five children now use a vape. The health advice is clear: if you don’t smoke, don’t vape, and children should never vape. In our recent consultation response, we set out our plan to introduce legislation as soon as possible to further crack down on youth vaping by providing powers to restrict flavours, point of sale and packaging of vaping products.In regard to advertising and sponsorship, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 January 2024 to Question 11133.The Department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of advertising vape products in sports venues and on sports kits on health outcomes.

Members: Correspondence

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the letter of 16 January 2024 from the hon. Member for Stockport on behalf of a constituent, reference NM21899.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department has received the correspondence of 16 January 2024 from the hon. Member and we will reply as soon as possible.

Electronic Cigarettes: Health Education

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help raise public awareness of the risks of vaping.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children. Youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and one in five children now use a vape. The health advice is clear, if you don’t smoke, don’t vape – and children should never vape. That is why we are taking decisive action to ban disposable vapes alongside broader measures to restrict flavours, vape packaging and where vapes are displayed. We will introduce legislation as soon as possible.The department delivers a range communications and media activity to provide updates on vaping policy and raise public awareness of the risks of vaping – for example, Ministers and the Chief Medical Officer regularly undertake broadcast interviews. The department is also currently in the process of developing new advice and guidance for the Better Health website.Over the past two years we have also taken several steps to increase training resources and support available for teachers and schools. In October 2022, we published new content on the risks of vaping for young people on the FRANK and Better Health websites and have provided input to educational resources produced by partners including the PSHE Association.The department is currently in conversations with leading technology and social media platforms to reduce the visibility of any content that might glamourise vaping to children and young people, while increasing and enhancing the signposting to trusted sources of information on the harms to children from vaping.

Dental Services: Contracts

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much expenditure was reclaimed (a) nationally and (b) per region by NHS England from primary care dental practices that did not meet contractual targets in (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21, (iii) 2021-22 and (iv) 2022-23; and if she will make an estimate of the total sum that is predicted to be reclaimed by the end of 2023-24 financial year.

Andrea Leadsom: Data for expenditure reclaimed for activity in the years 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 is available from NHS Business Services Authority. This information is published here: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/dental-data/nhs-payments-dentists.Data for activity in 2022-23 and 2023-24 will be published in due course.

Primary Health Care

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of primary care facilities to meet demand.

Andrea Leadsom: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning and commissioning primary care services which reasonably meet the needs of the local population. ICBs should evaluate the needs of the populations for which they are responsible and plan service provision as required.

Gene Therapies: Innovation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of developing a cross-departmental strategy including the (a) Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and (b) NHS to (i) support and (ii) promote expertise in cell and gene therapy innovation.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department recognises that advanced cell and gene therapies will be an important part of the future of healthcare and the life sciences industry. The Department has been considering the recommendations of the National Cell and Gene Therapy Vision for the UK, a report published by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult in March 2022, and the UK Strategic Stem Cell Forum’s latest report, A 10 Year Vision for Stem Cell Transplantation and Advanced Cellular Therapies, published in July 2022. As part of this we have been conducting stakeholder engagement across the cell and gene therapy ecosystem to further understand the challenges raised and whether there is a role for the Department in coordinating activity in this area. We will continue to work with our public sector partners to ensure a whole system approach to advanced therapies, building on existing strengths to ensure a joined-up research, regulatory, and health ecosystem.

Dental Services: Finance

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the gross annual budget was for NHS dental services before deductions for (a) underspends and (b) underperformance for each year from 2010-11 to the latest year for which data isavailable.

Andrea Leadsom: Whilst data for dental budgets in prior years is not held centrally, we currently invest more than £3 billion in National Health Service dental services each year. We are committed to protecting this funding for dentistry purposes, and will ringfence the funding in 2024/25. We will issue guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) shortly, through NHS England’s 2024/25 revenue finance and contracting guidance. To ensure compliance against this requirement, and to strengthen oversight of funding that is used to deliver access to NHS dental care, NHS England will meet with and collect monthly returns from all ICBs, to establish current and planned spend against the ringfenced dental allocations budget.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on ensuring a cross-departmental approach to tackling alcohol harm in (a) domestic and (b) community settings.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government is committed to tackling alcohol-related harms, with a strong programme of work underway to address alcohol-related issues and the impact they have on individuals and communities.The Department regularly engages with the Home Office on tackling alcohol harms. This includes the establishment of Alcohol Care Teams in the 25% of acute care hospitals in England with the greatest need, as well as improvements to the drug and alcohol treatment system through the 10-year Drug Strategy.The Home Office has focused on improving local intelligence, establishing effective partnerships and equipping the police and local authorities with the right powers to take effective actions against alcohol related crime. They have updated and piloted training material aimed on frontline professionals to highlight the impact alcohol misuse can have where domestic abuse is present.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the potential impact of (a) licensing hours and (b) concentration of licensed premises on levels of alcohol (i) use and (ii) harm.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department will continue to work closely with colleagues across the Government to review how public health teams and local authorities in England use their existing licensing powers, and to identify any opportunities for improvement to address alcohol misuse and reduce alcohol related harm.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will commission a report into alcohol use and alcohol harm in England.

Andrea Leadsom: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 20 December 2023 to Question UIN 7059 and 17 January 2024 to Question UIN 9013.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has set targets relating to the reduction of alcohol (a) use and (b) harm.

Andrea Leadsom: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 January 2024 to Question UIN 7367.

Health Services: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take steps to learn from international best practice on the provision of rehabilitative care for injured veterans.

Maria Caulfield: The National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) is part of the Government’s New Hospital Programme, with construction starting in 2023. This new 70-bed facility will benefit all patients including veterans by bringing together patient care, research, innovation, and training and education under one roof.In addition, Op RESTORE has been commissioned by NHS England to act as a comprehensive veterans’ mental and physical health and wellbeing service. It supports individuals who have served in, or are leaving, the British Armed Forces and who have physical health injuries and related medical problems attributed to their time in the Armed Forces. Additionally, in April 2023, a new integrated Op COURAGE service launched which includes access to dedicated support for those presenting with substance misuse and other addictions such as gambling. Access to Op COURAGE is via referral or by direct contact from veterans, with a campaign to raise awareness of Op COURAGE having been launched on 9 January 2024.The Government is providing an additional £10 million to support the Veterans’ Places, People and Pathways Programme to increase support to a significant community of vulnerable veterans throughout the United Kingdom, and to enable it to become self-sustaining.The Government has not made any assessment of the adequacy of existing rehabilitative care for injured veterans, existing treatment services for veterans with alcohol and drug dependency or existing mental health support for veterans who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.The Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Office for Veterans' Affairs engage with Five Eyes international partners to share best practice on research and policy delivery. This engagement covers a wide range of issues relating to veterans including physical health. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not had additional engagement with international partners on rehabilitative care for veterans.

Department for Transport

Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2023 to Question 6204, what his planned timetable is for the 2024 review of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.

Anthony Browne: Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund progress tracking takes place regularly. This includes reporting from local authorities who receive LEVI funding, which they are required to provide to the Department. Alongside this regular monitoring, the first evaluation activities relating to the LEVI Fund commenced in late 2023, in the form of engagement with Capital Fund applicants. Upcoming evaluation activities include interviews with stakeholders and a follow up survey with Capital Fund applicants, Pilot and Capability Fund recipients. A final report later this year will summarise findings and will be published in accordance with the GSR Publication Protocol.

Department for Transport: Health and Safety

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether all (a) buildings and (b) workplaces staff from their Department occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Anthony Browne: All buildings and workplaces have a risk assessment in place. These are reviewed at suitable intervals or when any changes are made to the infrastructure or working practices.

Plastics: Pollution

Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has made representations to the International Maritime Organisation on the potential merits of classifying pre-production plastic pellets, nurdles, as a hazardous shipment.

Guy Opperman: Yes, the Government has made representations to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on the classification of plastic pellets as harmful substances. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which provides the UK’s representation to the IMO, has been actively involved in the discussions about, and development of, both voluntary and mandatory measures for the transport by sea of plastic pellets. The UK, in conjunction with a number of other IMO member states, has submitted a proposal to the IMO to amend the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) in order to identify plastic pellets as a harmful substance and to establish mandatory requirements for their transport by sea.

Department for Business and Trade

Ceramics: Manufacturing Industries

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she has taken to support the ceramic industry financially since the covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Eligible businesses in the ceramics sector are eligible to apply for the government’s Energy Intensive Industry (EII) Exemption Scheme and have received around £15m from it since 2013. The sector will also benefit from the related British Industry Supercharger (BIS), with the government committed to rolling out its measures between April 2024 and April 2025. This is in addition to the broader support with energy bills provided for business through the Energy Bill Relief and Discount schemes and the support provided by the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) to help invest in energy efficiency and low carbon technologies.

Small Businesses: East Devon

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an estimate of the number and proportion of SMEs that have received funding from her Department in East Devon constituency in each of the last three years.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department has a wide range of programmes and is pleased that the first of the new Regions and Nations Funds includes East Devon constituency. The new South West Investment Fund launched in July 2023 and has already invested £32,000 into Exeter Eyewear based at Exeter Science Park. Through its business as usual programmes and Covid support schemes, the British Business Bank facilitated funding to the following number of businesses in East Devon in the last three years:2023: 15 (up to September 2023)2022: 402021: 254

Home Office

Sanctions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many private investigators have been questioned by police over allegations of assisting Russia in the last 12 months; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle companies that assist (a) Russia and (b) other sanctioned countries.

Chris Philp: The Home Office does not hold information on how many private investigators have been questioned by police over allegations of assisting Russia.Departments across HMG including FCDO, HMT (through OFSI), DBT, DFT, HMRC, Home Office, and NCA, work together to ensure that UK companies are compliant with UK sanctions, including through guidance, engagement, civil enforcement and criminal prosecution.The launch of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) by DBT will further enhance guidance and engagement with industry, as well as civil enforcement of trade sanctions.Legislation is being enhanced to expand the powers to impose civil monetary penalties for breaches of both trade and transport sanctions measures.

British Nationality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people had their British citizenship revoked under the British Nationality Act 1981 between 1997 and 2010.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office publishes data relating to those deprived of British Citizenship. Statistics are available from May 2010.The British Nationality Act 1981 provides the Secretary of State with powers to deprive a person of citizenship status only under the circumstances set out at sections 40(2) (if deemed to be conducive to the public good) and 40(3) (citizenship was obtained by means of fraud, false representation, or concealment of material fact) of the Act.Details on the numbers of conducive deprivation orders made under Section 40(2) of the Act, are published in the Government Transparency Report: Disruptive and Investigatory Powers. Seven reports have been published to date providing the number of deprivations of citizenship orders made up until the end of 2022 and are all published online. The latest can be found at this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counter-terrorism-disruptive-powers-report-2022We intend to publish more recent data in future publications.Numbers of Section 40(3) deprivation orders can be found in quarterly published transparency data at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Boxing

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Department is taking to support amateur boxing.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with representatives from professional boxing organisations on investing in grassroots boxing.

Stuart Andrew: Supporting grassroots sport is a key Government priority and we are committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to be able to play sport and be active. Our new strategy ‘Get Active’ sets out our unapologetic ambition to build a more active nation, with a target to get 3.5 million more people classed as ‘active’ by 2030.We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which receives £323m in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. Since 2020, Sport England has provided over £11.9m of investment into projects which facilitate participation in boxing. This includes £6.3m of system partner funding which has been provided to England Boxing to grow and develop boxing across the country between 2022 and 2027. England boxing has a team of club support officers based around the country who provide guidance to grassroots clubs looking to secure funding for new projects.In addition to this UKSport have invested just over £12m in Team GB amateur boxers during the Paris investment Cycle.

National Physical Activity Taskforce

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many times the National Physical Activity Taskforce has met since it was created; and what progress that taskforce has made towards achieving its targets set out in the Get Active strategy.

Stuart Andrew: The National Physical Activity Taskforce (NPAT) was launched in September 2023 as part of the government sport strategy Get Active, to bring together government departments, the sport sector and independent experts to deliver coordinated and innovative policy that will help encourage people to get active.The NPAT meets quarterly and has held two productive meetings since its launch, with the next meeting scheduled for March. To make the ambitions of the Sport Strategy a reality requires long term behavioural change and that is why we have set our targets to 2030.To help reach our target to get 3.5 million more people active by 2030, the Government is investing over £400 million into a wide range of grassroots sports facilities, including park tennis courts and swimming pools between 2021 and 2025. This is on top of the £323m in Exchequer and Lottery Sport England funding provided to help get people active.We map our trends, targets and trajectories using the Sport England Active Lives Survey, and the Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, which provides data and insight into activity levels and behaviours. The NPAT commissions short term-actions and milestones that can be measured to supplement our long term targets. The minutes and actions of each meeting are published on gov.uk.

S4C: Public Appointments

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to advertise the role of S4C chair.

Julia Lopez: Preparations are being made to launch the process to appoint a new Chairman of S4C and the role will be advertised in due course. This will be a fair and open process, run in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

S4C: Public Appointments

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress she  has made in appointing an interim chair of S4C.

Julia Lopez: An interim appointment will be announced in due course, following consultation with the S4C board and the Welsh Government. He or she will fulfil the role from 1 April, when Mr Williams steps down, until a new permanent Chairman is appointed. This is consistent with the S4C Board’s standing orders.

Treasury

Public Sector: Workplace Pensions

Christine Jardine: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to ensure pension remediation for public sector workers affected by the McCloud judgement.

Laura Trott: The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 provides remedy for discrimination that arose when new public service pensions schemes were introduced between 2014 and 2016. The remedy has two main elements: older “legacy” pension schemes were closed as of 1 April 2022 to equalise future accrual in newer “reformed” schemes; and, from 1 October 2023 all affected members are being given a choice at retirement (or within 18 months of 1 October 2023 for those who have already retired) as to whether to receive legacy or reformed scheme benefits for the remedy period.

Sodium Valproate: Compensation

Cat Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make provision for compensation to those affected by sodium valproate in the forthcoming Budget.

Laura Trott: On 7 February, the Patient Safety Commissioner published The Hughes Report, which provides recommendations for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government is carefully considering these recommendations and will respond to the report in due course.

Household Support Fund

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the joint public letter from UK civil society organisations on the Household Support Fund, published on 6 February 2024, if he will publish a response.

Laura Trott: The Treasury carefully considers all issues raised by stakeholders. The Government continues to keep all of its existing policies and programmes under review in the usual way. The Government has provided £842m to Local Authorities in England to deliver the Household Support Fund in England over 2023-24, and provided over £2 billion for the Fund since October 2021. Over 10 million awards were given from the last extension of the Fund, between 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Health and Safety

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether all (a) buildings and (b) workplaces staff from their Department occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Mr Alister Jack: Yes; all buildings and workplaces that staff from the Scotland Office occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Health and Safety

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether all (a) buildings and (b) workplaces staff from their Department occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Mr Steve Baker: The Northern Ireland Office is co-located in two locations in London and Belfast, and these sites are managed by other government departments. The Northern Ireland Office follows Ministry of Justice policy, which complies with Health and Safety legislation. The Northern Ireland Office requires all its employees to undertake mandatory training in Health and Safety compliance, as well as workstation risk assessments for new starters, employees whose work environment changes, and in pregnancy.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Health and Safety

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether all (a) buildings and (b) workplaces staff from their Department occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Simon Hoare: The Department currently occupies 22 buildings which the Government Property Agency manages on a day to day basis on its behalf. GPA responsibilities include ensuring that statutory health and safety requirements in relation to the buildings are met. GPA confirms that it has a comprehensive set of risk assessments for DLUHC buildings and therefore meets the requirements of regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.DLUHC itself is responsible for workplace risk assessments such as display risk assessments, lone working risk assessments, and travel risk assessments. DLUHC policy is for workplace risk assessments to be completed on a case by case basis, and Department staff routinely complete the assessments where they are required.

Ministry of Defence

Gaza: Israel

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 10673 on Gaza: Israel, whether his Department has a comparable tracker logging alleged Israeli military International Humanitarian Law violations.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not maintain such a tracker. However, the MOD works closely with the FCDO, who continue to assess Israel's commitment and capability to comply with International Humanitarian Law.

NATO: Military Bases

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times he has visited NATO bases abroad in each year since 2015.

James Heappey: Every time the Secretary of State landed on an airbase of a NATO ally or attended a meeting in a NATO HQ would need to be counted, and this data is simply not held. Whilst the information could only be gathered at disproportionate cost, the Honourable Gentleman should be reassured that the answer would likely be very regularly indeed.

Armed Forces: Counter-terrorism

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel of the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy, (c) RAF and (d) Royal Marines were referred to Prevent in each year since 2015.

James Heappey: Information held by the Ministry of Defence is set out below, detailing the number of referrals to Prevent from a military referrer by calendar year, noting that figures prior to 2018 are not held. A breakdown of the information by Service is not currently available. These figures exclude members of the military who are referred to Prevent by an organisation other than the military, for example the Home Office Police or NHS. 2018 – 52019 – 122020 – 82021 – 132022 – 132023 – 22

Persian Gulf: Navy

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy ships have been deployed to the Gulf region in each year since 2010.

James Heappey: The Royal Navy has a long-standing maritime presence in the Gulf region, focussed on promoting peace and stability, as well as ensuring the safe flow of global trade. The Gulf region includes the Red Sea, The Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf. The table below provides a breakdown of each time an RN ship entered the Gulf region. This demonstrates a changed Royal Navy operating model. Episodic deployments have been incrementally replaced by permanently deployed vessels and long deployments. For example, a Type 23 frigate has been permanently deployed to the region since 2019. The vessel has two crews, providing a more efficient and higher level of operational availability. Fluctuations in the data reflect periodic surges when multiple RN units deployed to the region. For example, the Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo-Pacific in 2021 increased the numbers of vessels in the region. Year20102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023Number of Ships20222222201713131312121686

Ministry of Defence: Russian Language

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Russian language specialists worked in his Department in each year since 2010.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Mandarin Chinese language specialists worked in his Department in each year since 2010.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Cantonese Chinese language specialists worked in his Department in each year since 2010.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Farsi language specialists worked in his Department in each year since 2010.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Arabic language specialists worked in his Department in each year since 2010.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Pashto and Dari language specialists worked in his Department in each year since 2010.

James Heappey: We have deemed language specialist to be a service person holding an in date formal MOD language assessment of Level 2 and above (even if not actively using the language day to day), and any civil servant (Burnham Lecturer) or military person employed in teaching languages to defence personnel on an ongoing permanent basis or supporting operations. Detailed historical data on those personnel ‘in date’ before 2018 is unavailable, we only know the number of exams that were passed in the respective years going back to 2012. We have not included those for the purposes of this answer. The information available is in the following table:  SerialLanguageNumbers 'in date' (Jan 24)Numbers 'in date' (Jan 23)Numbers 'in date' (Jan 22)Numbers 'in date' (Sep 21)Numbers 'in date' (Dec 19)Numbers 'in date' (Sep 18)1Russian16315511110680812Arabic991171211321871963Farsi3842384021244Mandarin1522182212125Cantonese9With Mandarin as Chinese to mid 23Counted with MandarinCounted with MandarinCounted with MandarinCounted with Mandarin6Dari/Pashtu51658913

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of replacing HMS Diamond with HMS Richmond in the Red Sea on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s capacity.

James Heappey: HMS Richmond has now taken on the role of safeguarding shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden alongside other Royal Navy, UK & NATO Partners, as part of the UK's enduring commitment to ensuring Freedom of Navigation and maintaining security of global shipping lanes.The Royal Navy and Royal Feet Auxiliary continue to meet all of their operational commitments at home and abroad, and we will continue to ensure we have the workforce, support arrangements and facilities required to maintain availability in the future.

HMS Diamond: Guided Weapons

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many missiles HMS Diamond fired whilst participating in Operation Prosperity Guardian.

James Heappey: During her deployment at the Red Sea, HMS Diamond engaged and shot down nine aerial threats in self-defence whilst firing Sea Viper missiles. For operational security reasons, I cannot comment on the specifics of this activity.

Department for Education

Schools: Concrete

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for the completion of the long-term removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in school buildings in cases where a (a) capital grant is provided and (b) rebuilding project is agreed.

Damian Hinds: The government is funding the removal of RAAC present in school and colleges either through grants, or through the School Rebuilding Programme. A list of education settings with confirmed RAAC and the funding route to remove RAAC was published on 8 February 2024, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information.The longer-term requirements of each school or college will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. Permanently removing RAAC may involve refurbishment of existing buildings such as replacing the roof or rebuilding affected buildings. For schools joining the School Rebuilding Programme, schools are prioritised for delivery according to the condition need of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. For schools and colleges receiving grants, the department will work with the responsible bodies to support them through the grants process as they undertake the buildings works to remove RAAC permanently. The department is working with responsible bodies to take forward this work as quickly as possible.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Offshore Industry: Employment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to her oral contribution during the Second Reading of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill on 22 January 2024, Official Report, columns 42-43, on what evidential basis she stated that 200,000 jobs are supported by the oil and gas sector in the UK; and if she will publish a breakdown of (a) the calculations supporting this figure and (b) those jobs by sector.

Graham Stuart: The impact assessment for the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill uses figures from Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) 2022 annual workforce insights report to show how many jobs are supported by the Oil and Gas sector in the UK. This report highlights that there were approximately 200,000 jobs supported by the industry in 2021 and the report includes a breakdown of jobs by sector.

Electricity Generation: Renewable Energy

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, Security and Net Zero, when she will launch a consultation on removing the barriers to selling clean electricity.

Graham Stuart: The Government has announced that it will consult on the barriers preventing the development of community energy schemes. The Government is actively working with the Community Energy Contact Group on the content of the consultation and plans to publish the consultation as soon as possible once these discussions have concluded.

Energy: Housing

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will take steps to introduce post-installation inspections for ECO4-funded works to ensure that those works are carried out to a high standard.

Amanda Solloway: Under ECO4 installations of all energy efficiency measures, excluding district heating system connections, need to be carried out by TrustMark registered businesses, which are required to adhere to the independent Publicly Available Specification standards. TrustMark carries out post-installation inspections on up to 10% of all projects, taking a risk-based approach.

Offshore Industry: North Sea

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make a comparative assessment of (a) the current number of employees and (b) the projected job growth by 2030,within the (i) oil and gas industry and (ii) renewable energy industry in the North Sea.

Graham Stuart: The oil and gas sector currently supports around 200,000 jobs. Research by Robert Gordon University predicts that the workforce may decline by 2030 as production from the North Sea declines, the scale of which depends on future commercial decisions. The Offshore Wind Industry Council estimates that the total UK offshore wind workforce was 32,257 in 2022, and forecasts that the UK offshore wind industry could support over 100,000 jobs by 2030.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Waste

Jo Gideon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's expected timeline is to introduce mandatory food waste reporting for large businesses.

Robbie Moore: The Secretary of State decided in November 2023 to look again at how best to secure the benefits of food waste reporting for large businesses. We now intend to gather further evidence and re-consider all options in the 2022 consultation, including mandatory reporting, using the latest available data. We expect to make the decision later this year.

Plastics: Pollution

Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle pre-production plastic pellet, nurdle, pollution in the marine environment.

Robbie Moore: Tackling marine plastic pollution in all its forms is a priority for the UK Government, and we’re taking action domestically, regionally and internationally to address this issue. Our statutory UK Marine Strategy sets out a vision for UK waters to achieve clean, safe, healthy biologically diverse and productive seas, which are used sustainably. The UK Marine Strategy Part One set out our aim for the amount of litter on coastlines and in the marine environment to be declining over time and for levels to not pose a significant risk to the coastal and marine environment. In 2019, the British Irish Council Ministers recognised the need to address the loss of plastic pellets and supported the development of a Publicly Available Specification developed by the British Standards Institution. This Specification sets out requirements for the handling and management of plastic pellets, flakes and powders throughout the supply chain to prevent spills, leaks and loss to the environment, and was the first of its kind when published in July 2021. Details can be found on the BSI website: PAS 510:2021 | 31 Jul 2021 | BSI Knowledge (bsigroup.com). As a Contracting Party to the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, the UK develops and implements actions under the OSPAR Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter and has led an action on preventing plastic pellet loss in the supply chain. The action has resulted in the adoption of a Recommendation on minimum requirements for pellet loss certification schemes, to promote coherence in national approaches and drive improved standards throughout the supply chain. The UK is a leading voice in the negotiation of a new international treaty on plastic pollution and has called for binding provisions to reduce and prevent microplastic pollution from all sources. In particular, the UK has called for specific provisions to prevent and eliminate emissions and releases of plastic pellets, flakes and powders across the whole supply chain. Additionally, the UK is contributing to discussions at the International Maritime Organisation regarding requirements for the shipping of plastic pellets. Recommendations on the carriage of plastic pellets by sea in freight containers are under development and are expected to be approved this year. The UK is pushing for action to be taken as soon as possible to reduce the incidence of plastic pellet spills at sea.

Department for Work and Pensions

Veterans: Aerospace Industry and Defence

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has plans to take steps to encourage more veterans to work in the defence and aerospace industries.

Mims Davies: Veterans who need support from the department in finding employment are able to get support from their Work Coach. For those who might need extra specialist support, we have a network of Armed Forces Champions spread throughout the Jobcentre Plus network. The Armed Forces Champions have specific responsibilities for supporting members of the Armed Forces community, including building staff capability within their districts, personally handling some claims, supporting veterans into work and helping resolve complex cases where necessary. Every Work Coach is trained on how to provide tailored and personalised support to members of the Armed Forces community and their families, working in partnership with their Armed Forces Champions. Veterans have early voluntary entry to the Work and Health Programme. Other employment support may be available to veterans depending on their circumstances, including specialist local support provided by the third sector which the department may be able to refer them to. Veterans generally enjoy successful employment outcomes when they leave the services, and the Career Transition Partnership has published annual statistics on those they have supported.